In appearance, an en dash is slightly longer than a hyphen ( - ), approximately the width of a capital N. It is the preferred punctuation to indicate a range or the result of a contest or vote. What else is the en dash used to establish?More...

Virtually all modern Indian and Middle Eastern writing systems—as well as some from East and Southeast Asia—use a script that can be traced back to the Aramaic alphabet. Aramaic's influence on these writing systems can be attributed to its position as the official language of the Persian Empire and as the lingua franca—common language used among people of different mother tongues—of the Fertile Crescent. In the Aramaic alphabet, every character is a consonant. How are vowels formed?More...

One of the most successful situation comedies in the history of television, Seinfeld is often described as a show about nothing. Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter of whom starred as a fictionalized version of himself on the show, it featured a collection of selfish and neurotic characters obsessed with the minutiae of everyday life. After nine seasons, the series came to an end. In its final episode, the four main characters find themselves incarcerated for what crime?More...

King of Sweden from 1751 until his death 20 years later, Adolf Frederick was, for the entirety of his reign, largely just a figurehead. Most of the power actually rested with the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament. Twice he tried to free himself of its control. The first attempt ended disastrously, with Adolf Frederick nearly losing his throne. His second attempt met with greater success, but the victory ultimately did little to increase his power. In what memorable and unusual way did he die?More...

Quotation of the Day

It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble ... Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change.

This annual observance in Liberia draws attention to the animosity between the Americo-Liberian elite and the indigenous majority. Under the leadership of President William V. S. Tubman, who led from 1944 to 1971, the divide between these two groups was diminished. Tubman introduced the National Unification Policy, which featured among other things an extension of the vote to women and the country's indigenous people. The anniversary emerged as a means to draw support for the policy. The day reminds Liberians to remember what they hold in common and not to dwell on how they diverge. More...

funeral - Once was a torchlight procession, from Latin funis, "torch"—because funerals of the Romans took place at night by torchlight. More...

kindle - The verb is related to Old Norse kyndill, "candle, torch." More...

Drummond light - A torch that burns calcium oxide (lime) and gives off intense white light, it was named for Scottish engineer Capt. Thomas Drummond, R.E. (1797-1840), who invented it around 1825. More...

torch - From Latin torquere, it first referred to tarred twists of frayed rope. More...

A new study has shed light on the role our immune system could play in our hair turning gray when we deal with stress or illness. Cells known as melanocytes make up melanin and give our hair its color. Special stem cells then add melanocytes to new ...More...

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